Skills StrandGrade 3

Core Knowledge Language Arts®

Unit 2Vocabulary Cards

Creative Commons LicensingThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

You are free:to Share — to copy, distribute and transmit the work to Remix — to adapt the work

Under the following conditions:Attribution — You must attribute the work in the following manner:

This work is based on an original work of the Core Knowledge® Foundation made available through licensing under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. This does not in any way imply that the Core Knowledge Foundation endorses this work.

Noncommercial — You may not use this work for commercial purposes.

Share Alike — If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under the same or similar license to this one.

With the understanding that: For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of this work. The best way to do this is with a link to this web page:

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Copyright © 2013 Core Knowledge Foundation www.coreknowledge.org

All Rights Reserved.

Core Knowledge Language Arts, Listening & Learning, and Tell It Again! are trademarks of the Core Knowledge Foundation.

Trademarks and trade names are shown in this book strictly for illustrative and educational purposes and are the property of their respective owners. References herein should not be regarded as affecting the validity of said trademarks and trade names.

animal

animal—a living thing that is not a plant (animals)

Unit 2: Introduction

habitat

habitat—a place where plants and/or animals live and grow (habitats)

Unit 2: Introduction

savanna

savanna—a large flat area of land with a lot of grass and few trees commonly found in Africa and South AmericaUnit 2: Introduction

herbivore

herbivore—an animal that only eats plants (herbivores)

Unit 2: Introduction

carnivore

carnivore—an animal that mainly eats meat (carnivores)

Unit 2: Introduction

omnivore

omnivore—an animal that eats both plants and meat (omnivores)

Unit 2: Introduction

classify

classify—to put things into groups based on similarities or type (classifying, classified)Unit 2: Chapter 1

scientist

scientist—an expert in science who has knowledge of the natural world based on facts learned through observation and experiments (scientists)Unit 2: Chapter 1

characteristic

characteristic—something that makes a person, thing, or group different (characteristics)Unit 2: Chapter 1

life cycle

life cycle—the stages through which a living thing goes from birth until death

Unit 2: Chapter 1

adult

adult—grown-up

Unit 2: Chapter 1

adapt

adapt—to change

Unit 2: Chapter 1

kingdom

kingdom—a major group into which all living things are classified (kingdoms)Unit 2: Chapter 1

warm-blooded

warm-blooded—having a constant body temperature; Mammals are warm-blooded.Unit 2: Chapter 2

cold-blooded

cold-blooded—only able to control body temperature by using surroundings; Reptiles are cold-blooded.Unit 2: Chapter 2

mammal

mammal—an animal that gives birth, has hair, feeds milk from its own body to its young, and is warm-blooded (mammals)Unit 2: Chapter 2

crocodile

crocodile—a large reptile that lives near water and has thick, scaly skin and very strong jaws (crocodiles)Unit 2: Chapter 2

scale

scale—a thin, small disc on the outside of the bodies of some animals, such as fish and reptiles (scales)Unit 2: Chapter 2

reptile

reptile—a cold-blooded animal with tough, scaly skin that uses its surroundings to control its body temperature (reptiles)Unit 2: Chapter 2

constant

constant—unchanging

Unit 2: Chapter 2

temperature

temperature—the measurement of how hot or cold something is (temperatures)

Unit 2: Chapter 2

vertebrate

vertebrate—an animal with a backbone (vertebrates)

Unit 2: Chapter 3

invertebrate

invertebrate—an animal without a backbone (invertebrates)

Unit 2: Chapter 3

spine

spine—backbone

Unit 2: Chapter 3

spinal cord

spinal cord—a large group of nerves that connects to the brain and sends messages to other nerves in the bodyUnit 2: Chapter 3

aquatic

aquatic—living, growing, or found in water

Unit 2: Chapter 4

oxygen

oxygen—a colorless gas that animals must breathe to stay alive

Unit 2: Chapter 4

gill

gill—one of a pair of organs fish use to breathe underwater (gills)

Unit 2: Chapter 4

fin

fin—a bony spine covered with skin that sticks out from a fish’s body and helps it swim (fins)Unit 2: Chapter 4

school

school—a large group of fish or other aquatic animals that swim together (schools)Unit 2: Chapter 4

ocean

ocean—an enormous body of saltwater

Unit 2: Chapter 4

migrate

migrate—to travel back and forth from one place to another

Unit 2: Chapter 4

amphibian

amphibian—an animal that can live on land and in water (amphibians)

Unit 2: Chapter 5

hibernate

hibernate—to spend a season resting or sleeping (hibernating)

Unit 2: Chapter 5

survive

survive—to continue to live (survives)

Unit 2: Chapter 5

tadpole

tadpole—the early form of frogs and toads that has gills and a tail, but no legs (tadpoles)Unit 2: Chapter 5

fragile

fragile—easily harmed

Unit 2: Chapter 5

absorb

absorb—to take in or soak up (absorbs)

Unit 2: Chapter 5

poisonous

poisonous—full of poison or venom

Unit 2: Chapter 6

deadliest

deadliest—most likely to cause death

Unit 2: Chapter 6

inject

inject—to force in fluid, like poison, usually by piercing the skin (injects)

Unit 2: Chapter 6

venom

venom—poison produced by an animal used to harm or kill another animal

Unit 2: Chapter 6

water moccasin

water moccasin—a type of poisonous snake found in the southern United States (water moccasins)Unit 2: Chapter 6

startle

startle—to surprise (startled)

Unit 2: Chapter 6

molt

molt—to shed skin (molting, molted)

Unit 2: Chapter 6

adaptive

adaptive—easily changes to live in different environments

Unit 2: Chapter 7

flock

flock—a group of birds (flocks)

Unit 2: Chapter 7

penguin

penguin—a bird that cannot fly, has black and white feathers, and uses its wings for swimming (penguins)Unit 2: Chapter 7

feather

feather—one of many light, soft parts that covers a bird’s skin (feathers)

Unit 2: Chapter 7

plumage

plumage—birds’ feathers

Unit 2: Chapter 7

nature

nature—everything in the outside world that is not made by people

Unit 2: Chapter 7

weather

weather—what it is like outside

Unit 2: Chapter 7

nectar

nectar—sweet liquid that comes from flowers

Unit 2: Chapter 7

attract

attract—to draw or pull toward a person, place, or thing

Unit 2: Chapter 7

creature

creature—an animal (creatures)

Unit 2: Chapter 8

communicate

communicate—to share information with others through language, writing, or gestures (communication)Unit 2: Chapter 8

language

language—words used to communicate

Unit 2: Chapter 8

sign language

sign language—a way to communicate using hands to make signs that stand for letters and wordsUnit 2: Chapter 8

sonar

sonar—a way to find things underwater using sound waves

Unit 2: Chapter 8

echo

echo—a sound that is repeated when sound waves bounce off the surface of an objectUnit 2: Chapter 8

predator

predator—an animal that hunts other animals for food (predators)

Unit 2: Chapter 8

duck-billed platypus

duck-billed platypus—a mammal that has a bill like a duck and lays eggs

Unit 2: Chapter 8

zoologist

zoologist—a scientist who studies animals and their characteristics (zoologists)Unit 2: Chapter 9

observe

observe—to watch closely and carefully (observing)

Unit 2: Chapter 9

organ

organ—an important body part that performs a specific function (organs)

Unit 2: Chapter 9

Aristotle

Aristotle—a Greek man who lived long ago and was one of the first people to write about classifying animalsUnit 2: Chapter 9

knowledge

knowledge—information

Unit 2: Chapter 9

primatologist

primatologist—a scientist who studies primates

Unit 2: Chapter 10

primate

primate—a mammal such as a monkey, ape, or human (primates)

Unit 2: Chapter 10

behavior

behavior—how a person or animal acts

Unit 2: Chapter 10

intelligent

intelligent—smart

Unit 2: Chapter 10

activist

activist—a person who strongly believes in changing something and works hard to try to make change happenUnit 2: Chapter 10

damage

damage—harm

Unit 2: Chapter 10

pollution

pollution—making land, water, or air dirty, thus causing damage

Unit 2: Chapter 10

scuba gear

scuba gear—clothes and equipment used for diving and breathing underwaterUnit 2: Chapter 11

water pressure

water pressure—the weight or force of water as it presses against something or someoneUnit 2: Chapter 11

weight

weight—how heavy something is

Unit 2: Chapter 11

submarine

submarine—a type of ship that carries people deep underwater for a long time (submarines)Unit 2: Chapter 11

submersible

submersible—a type of ship used to travel deep underwater for research that usually operates without people inside of it (submersibles)Unit 2: Chapter 11

marine biologist

marine biologist—a scientist who studies underwater sea life

Unit 2: Chapter 11

suction cup

suction cup—a round, shallow cup that can stick to a surface (suction cups)

Unit 2: Chapter 12

nocturnal

nocturnal—active during the night

Unit 2: Chapter 12

climate

climate—the usual weather patterns in a particular area

Unit 2: Chapter 12

orchestra

orchestra—a group of musicians who play instruments together

Unit 2: Chapter 12

Komodo dragon

Komodo dragon—the largest, living lizard (Komodo dragons)

Unit 2: Chapter 13

exist

exist—to be alive (existed)

Unit 2: Chapter 13

island

island—an area of land completely surrounded by water (islands)

Unit 2: Chapter 13

burrow

burrow—a hole in the ground dug by an animal for safety or for living (burrows)Unit 2: Chapter 13

nostril

nostril—one of the openings of the nose (nostrils)

Unit 2: Chapter 13

tongue

tongue—the part of the mouth used for tasting, licking, and swallowing

Unit 2: Chapter 13

saliva

saliva—spit

Unit 2: Chapter 13

gnaw

gnaw—to bite or chew something over and over

Unit 2: Chapter 14

extinction

extinction—the state of no longer existing, usually referring to plants or animals that have died out completelyUnit 2: Chapter 14

pelt

pelt—the skin of a dead animal with hair or fur on it (pelts)

Unit 2: Chapter 14

wetland

wetland—an area of land covered with shallow water, such as a swamp (wetlands)Unit 2: Chapter 14

rodent

rodent—a small mammal with large, sharp front teeth, such as a squirrel, rat, or mouse (rodents)Unit 2: Chapter 14

territorial

territorial—keeping animals or people from coming into an area already claimedUnit 2: Chapter 14

flexible

flexible—bendable

Unit 2: Chapter 15

hover

hover—to float in the air close to something

Unit 2: Chapter 15

moss

moss—a very small green or yellow plant that grows on moist rocks, tree bark, or wet groundUnit 2: Chapter 15